Commander Fury

At its heart, Fujii is a game about exploring and gardening in equal parts. It revolves around a loop that lets players discover varied forms of plant life across three unique biomes, and then return to their home garden to plant various seeds they’ve discovered along the way. The experience takes players on a serene adventure through a series of lush, natural biomes; it’s designed as a consistently calm, musical experience, making it accessible for players of all types. We have a strong interest in the cathartic and healing powers of immersive experiences, and to that end one of our core aims for Fujii was to create a sense of place that engenders these kinds of feelings. Fujii’s environments are based heavily on the art of aquascaping — essentially, gardening underwater. The graceful, free-flowing aesthetic of underwater plant life became an inspirational touchstone, and over time the world of Fujii came to exist somewhere between land, sea, and space, with plants that grow and flowers that bloom in unearthly, fantastical ways. Fujii is set in an organic world that’s initially bathed in darkness, nearly devoid of life and energy. As the player ventures forth they’ll find their way through this darkness, bringing light and color to the world as they do so. Light gems, which are harvested from plants, allow the user to progress through and explore its three unique biomes. One feature we’re particularly proud of in Fujii is the game’s locomotion. While VR experiences can often make users feel confused — or, worse, motion sick — our intent was to build a locomotion system that empowered players, while still very much grounding them in the world. The system we came up with uses a physics-based teleportation system, using the parabola of a ball-like cursor to highlight the user’s intended destination. It’s something the team spent a lot of time perfecting, and we think it makes the core action of moving through Fujii’s world both elegant and fun. The game also builds on the connection between music and the natural world, with a soundscape that’s deeply enmeshed with the experience itself. Plants emit musical sounds and notes as they grow, and often require a sort of “musical gardening” to fully bloom. Compositions respond to player actions, and themselves bloom as the player progresses through each biome. Finally, Fujii’s home garden is a highly customizable space for players to make their own, primarily by planting and growing seeds from plants they’ve discovered throughout the world. These exotic seeds can be planted nearly anywhere in the user’s home area to create unique gardenscapes, which can be modified and revisited at any time. Fujii will be available tomorrow at PlayStation Store for $14.99. View the full article

“As long as there’s music, I’ll keep on dancing.” “Time to hit hard and make ‘em regret it.” Two lines that should get any action game fan’s heart racing. Ten years after their original debut, Bayonetta and Sam Gideon return once more in the Bayonetta & Vanquish 10th Anniversary Bundle on PlayStation 4! We’re thrilled to finally bring the frantic action and unrelenting style of PlatinumGames’ flagship titles to life in 4K at 60fps on the PlayStation 4 Pro. This hard-hitting combo pack launches on February 18, 2020. Have you broken a controller playing through Bayonetta on Non-Stop ∞ Climax? Spent countless hours perfecting every movement in Vanquish’s infamous Challenge 6? Or are you just fascinated by the idea of controlling a gun-wielding witch or a DARPA agent donning a rocket-propelled Augmented Reaction Suit? Then the Bayonetta & Vanquish 10th Anniversary Bundle is perfect for you. We know how special Bayonetta and Vanquish are to fans, and they’re an important part of SEGA’s history as well, so we wanted to go big for their 10th anniversary. That’s why we’re happy to announce that the physical release of the Bayonetta & Vanquish 10th Anniversary Bundle will come in an embossed SteelBook with brand-new cover art for both games produced by Weapons Van, supervised by Bayonetta director Hideki Kamiya and Sega. We’re happy to give PlayStation Blog readers an exclusive first look at the new cover art here: Two exclusive static themes will be available for fans who plan to pick up the bundle digitally (pre-orders begin today at PlayStation Store!): Bayonetta & Vanquish Theme: show some love for the original Bayonetta and Vanquish cover art with this theme – available for all digital purchases. Bayonetta & Vanquish 10th Anniversary Theme: celebrate the 10th anniversary with a theme featuring the brand new cover art shown above. Available for a limited time for all pre-orders and purchases up to March 3, 2020, two weeks after launch. If you’re brand-new to either Bayonetta or Vanquish, you’re in for a treat. Bayonetta takes fast-paced third-person action to the extreme, pitting the unflappable Umbra Witch Bayonetta against hundreds of angelic foes with an arsenal of interchangeable weapons, powerful abilities, and mystical beasts summoned through her incredible hair. Meanwhile, Vanquish redefines the cover-based third-person shooting genre by introducing elements from action games and beat ‘em ups, a wide variety of weapons, and some of the craziest boss fights you’ll ever see, creating an entirely unique experience that shouldn’t be missed. The Bayonetta & Vanquish 10th Anniversary Bundle comes to PlayStation 4 on February 18, 2020 for $39.99. We’re so excited to give even more players the opportunity to experience these classic action game gems, and we look forward to the deluge of new playthroughs, combo videos, and speedruns for both games! View the full article

Bedrock is coming to PlayStation 4 tomorrow! “Kelsey,” you gasp in horror, “you’ve given away the whole article in the first sentence.” Don’t worry, beloved reader of PlayStation Blog, there is always more! “So how is this different from the version of Minecraft I can already play on my PS4?” The difference is that the Bedrock version of Minecraft is the unified version of the game that offers the same experience across all consoles. All that glorious, unified code means that you’ll be playing the same game as your pals on Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Windows 10, and mobile!* So, yes – that means you get cross-play between those different consoles. Not just that, PS4 players now also have access to the Minecraft Marketplace — a source for worlds, skins, mini-games, and mash up packs! So you’re going to have not just a better Minecraft experience than ever before, but more Minecraft than ever. “What if I already own Minecraft on PS4, do I need to buy the game again to get the Bedrock version?” Short answer: No! The next time you start Minecraft, the new update will install automatically and free of charge. This update will never expire, and all game purchases after today for PS4 will always be for this new version. We call this update ‘Buzzy Bees’ (or 1.14) and it’ll be arriving on PS4 tomorrow at 8am PST. Hope to see you in the Overworld soon! *Cross-Play requires other platforms of Minecraft to be running update 1.14, including PS4 systems. View the full article

Hello everyone, I’m René from NGDEV, a small video game development team based in Germany that focuses on the development of arcade games. Maybe you remember us from last year when we spoke about our 2D shoot ’em up Fast Striker. Today we are very excited to talk about our latest 2D action platformer Gunlord X, which we will launch in partnership with eastasiasoft at PlayStation Store on December 10 for $9.99. Gunlord X is the definitive version of one of our most popular arcade games that originally launched in 2012. More Screenshots & Artwork from Gunlord X Inspired by the Turrican series, Gunlord X emphasizes a mixture of exploration and traditional run & gun action. The game features hand-drawn pixel art graphics, 11 open-world stages, more than 60 unique enemies, huge boss battles and a ton of secrets. Gunlord X is not just a simple port. Instead we put a lot of effort and care into this release by adding a substantial number of new features and improvements. We believe that Gunlord X is the definitive version that should not be missed by any fan of action arcade platformers. The list of improvements is long, but just to name a few — here are some of the major additions that you can expect in Gunlord X: Increased level sizes with new secrets and challenges A brand new stage Four new boss enemies A new power shot weapon Difficulty adjustments, including re-balanced levels, permanent continues, level warp shortcuts, and auto-save features New Game Mode+ and accomplishment screen, especially designed for speed runners Various display settings, including scanline/RGB CRT TV options Fully customizable controls and new, optional modern twin-stick control setting As you can see, while staying true to its kickass action arcade gameplay, we put a lot of effort into adding content and new features that will make Gunlord X a fresh and unforgettable experience. Last but not least, Gunlord X of course runs at a super smooth 60fps. We hope you are excited about Gunlord X launching tomorrow. Happy holidays and see you all in 2020! View the full article

Email us at blogcast@sony.com! Subscribe via iTunes, Spotify, Google or RSS, or download here On this week’s Blogcast, we interview Sean Velasco of Yacht Club Games about Shovel Knight: King of Cards and Shovel Knight Showdown! Then, we we dig into some hard-hitting listener letters that send at least one of us spiraling into an existential crisis. Enjoy! Stuff We Talked About Next week’s big Shovel Knight update! Our big #25YearOfPlay celebration Death Stranding Gris Life is Strange Episode 5 Best game pairings? Freezing time vs. not sleeping The Cast Justin Massongill – Social Media Manager, SIEA Kristen Zitani – Social Media Specialist, SIEA Tim Turi – Senior Social Media Specialist, SIEA Thanks to Cory Schmitz for our beautiful logo and Dormilón for our rad theme song and show music. [Editor’s note: PSN game release dates are subject to change without notice. Game details are gathered from press releases from their individual publishers and/or ESRB rating descriptions.] View the full article

Venture into the foreboding world of Ashen, a new RPG from A44 and Annapurna Interactive where you’ll fight to restore light to a shadow-drenched world. Band together with other players — or don’t — and plumb the depths of treacherous dungeons set across an expansive open world. Other highlights this week include Avicii Invector and Shuttle Commander for PS VR. For a full list of new games coming to PlayStation next week, read on. And enjoy The Drop! Ashen PS4 — Digital (Out 12/12) Ashen is an open world co-op action RPG about a wanderer in search of a place to call home. As you adventure through Ashen, you’ll occasionally encounter other players in a massive open world. It’s up to you to decide how to deal with them — fight together against evil, invite them into your party or simply ignore them. Avicii Invector PS4 — Digital, Retail Soar through vocal melodies, sweep each fade and attack every beat in 25 of AVICII’s biggest hits, in this enthralling futuristic rhythm-action experience – AVICII Invector. Fly solo or bring the pulse-pounding frenetic energy of an AVICII concert to your living room with your friends in competitive gameplay. Blacksad: Under the Skin PS4 — Digital, Retail A dark corruption scandal in the heart of New York City’s underworld is a case for charismatic detective John Blacksad. With its anthropomorphic characters and its incredible 1950s feel, Blacksad: Under the Skin promises all the eerily dark adventure of a detective novel, just like the eponymous comic book series. Cardpocalypse PS4 — Digital (Out 12/12) Make friends, play cards, twist the rules, become a Mega Mutant Power Pets master, and try to save the world in this single-player RPG about being a 90’s kid. Explore Dudsdale Elementary and build killer card decks to defeat the mutants from everybody’s favorite collectible card game that have invaded the real world. Dead End Job PS4 — Digital (Out 12/13) Dead End Job sends you into a madcap, wacky world to bust up ghosts. It’s a procedurally generated, couch co-op, twin-stick shooter that straps a vacuum pack to your back, and puts a plasma blaster in your hand. For you, it’s just another day in the office. eFootball PES 2020 Lite PS4 — Digital (Out 12/9) Experience the E3 Best Sports Game award-winning gameplay with PES 2020, now free to download! Build your dream team in myClub, or support your favorite side in Matchday mode. Live and breathe the most authentic soccer game ever created, developed with the assistance of renowned midfielder Andrés Iniesta. Eternum Ex PS4 — Digital Sir Arthur has gotten old… too old. He has lost everything he had and loved, and with nothing more to lose, he leaves for Samarnath, an evil subterranean kingdom (which no knight has ever returned alive) in search of treasures, adventures and the most important: five magical orbs that together provide: the Eternal youth. Fishing: Barents Sea Complete Edition PS4 — Digital Take the helm of your very own fishing boat and explore the vastness of the Norwegian sea. Start with the little boat inherited from your grandfather, catch fish, and earn money for upgrades as well as bigger and better boats. Enjoy the beautiful Barents Sea and make your fishing industry dreams come true. Fujii PS VR — Digital A magical, musical hike through lush, chromatic VR wilderness. Bring dormant landscapes back to life by restoring native flora through light, water, and harmony, while collecting seeds to grow your own enchanted garden.The experience merges aspects of adventure and cultivation into a refreshing, musically enveloping whole. Gunlord X PS4 — Digital Gunlord X is a 2D action platformer featuring stunning pixel art, 11 open-world stages, nasty creatures, huge boss battles and a pumping soundtrack. Blast yourself through giant landscapes, explore caverns and reveal all secrets in this retro-inspired action game. Enjoy the definitive version of this classic masterpiece with tons of new features and updates. Headliner: Novinews PS4 — Digital Award-winning adventure where you control national news. A stack of news article sits on your desk. It’s time to make decisions. After work, emerge on the streets of Novistan, shaped by the very news you publish. Watch the city change day by day and influence the lives of the four main characters. Kwaidan PS4 — Digital (Out 12/13) Seamlessly combining 3D action and point-click adventure, Kwaidan provides a nostalgic-yet-new experience. Explore an old Japanese manor, solve clever puzzles, and fight against monsters called Yoki. Oliver’s Adventures in the Fairyland PS4 — Digital (Out 12/11) A teenager from the modern world is being summoned into a fantasy world with an important task from a wizard — to return the King’s stolen treasures! Oliver’s Adventures in the Fairyland is an indie adventure game inspired by the best Metroidvania titles. It packs retro graphics, roguelike elements, and classical platforming action. Rift Keeper PS4 — Digital Duty called and the Rift Keeper woke up from his deep slumber. Embark on your journey, travel through rifts, and restore the balance as the Rift Keeper in this handcrafted 2D roguelite platformer with challenging, fast-paced action gameplay. Shuttle Commander PS VR — Digital (Out 12/11) Take command of the Space Shuttle as it embarks on various missions to the Hubble Space Telescope. Fly the shuttle in a full landing simulation based on real physics and flight dynamics. Join the crew on the space shuttle missions and assist in the deployment and servicing of the Hubble. More details Superepic: The Entertainment War PS4 — Digital (Out 12/12) Join a racoon and a llama in their quest to save videogames as we know them! SuperEpic is a Metroidvania style action adventure game filled with humor and satire. The gameplay is nonlinear and fast paced, with exploration and combo-based combat the weapon of choice against the evil Regnantcorp! Super Korotama PS4 — Digital (Out 12/13) Super Korotama is an arcade skill game that emulates a classic retro-style arcade machine with different perforated panels, where the user can move a metal ball through a vertical bar that can be raised with the machine’s joysticks. The main objective of the game is to put the ball in the correct hole while avoiding the rest of the holes. Touring Karts PS4, PS VR — Digital (Out 12/12) Touring Karts takes maximum advantage of the possibilities of VR by reinventing kart-type races in the midst of chaos full of action and surprises. Features 22 tracks and 30 customizable cars, up to eight players online multiplayer support with no waiting, and more. PlayStation 25 Hideo Kojima Select Camila Cabella Pop and Play It: Chapter Two In Fabric Monos The information above is subject to change without notice. View the full article

This week PlayStation celebrates 25 incredible years! We asked you to pull out your memories from over the years and share your favorite consoles, games, and show off your collections. We were blown away by the response, and are highlighting just a handful of the amazing submissions: gamers_strike displays an impressive gaming setup, complete with a homemade TV frame to resemble the PSP. frollein.herzlich shows off her love of the original PlayStation. AmericanPrinceX shows off his impressive collection of consoles and handhelds. Homer2k shows off his impressive collection, but the real treat is clicking through to hear the relationships he’s forged through PlayStation (including proposing to his fiance at PSX and their upcoming PlayStation-themed wedding!). museo_gamer shows off their set up and many collectables. Vicky890_ has a flair for limited editions and DS4s. This is just a taste of the love we saw submitted. Make sure to peek at the #25YearsOfPlay tag on Twitter and Instagram to see more incredible memories celebrating this week’s theme. Want to be featured in next week’s Share of the Week? Theme: Snowing Share by: 9am Pacific on Wednesday, December 11 Next week, it’s time to bundle up for the winter. Share snowy scenes from the game of your choice using #PS4share and #PSBlog for a chance to be featured. View the full article

It has now been 10 years since I have shipped a game on PlayStation. Back then, it was on the PS3. Can you imagine! Needless to say, I am extremely proud today to bring Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey to PS4 players around the world. When I decided to start my own indie studio, Panache Digital Games, back in 2014, we were a mere handful of people and one thing was clear to me: I wanted to do things differently and to be bold. I wanted to do things with panache! Fast-forward five years later and this is exactly what my clan of now thirty-something game developers and I have accomplished with Ancestors. It is unique, refreshing, and most of all ambitious. With this open-world survival game, I wanted to put players in the shoes of our early ancestors in Africa 10 million years ago. We have come so far as a species over the millions of years of evolution that we are now somewhat disconnected from our roots. This game brings you back to your primal instincts and what makes us all human. To do so, I couldn’t make a game that was about chasing green dots on a map. I had to create systems that would let you write your own story; forge your own path to evolution. The original story of how you survived and came to evolve as a pre-human in a dangerous and menacing environment. Your survival as a lineage depends on the decisions you make. The four core systems of the game (senses, intelligence, communication and motricity) were built to support exploration so that you can develop your clan and your species through generations. That is how Ancestors lets you make surprising discoveries and be much more than a player. In Ancestors, you become your character and evolve along with your clan. Eureka moments in games usually come in the form of a story, a clever twist in the narrative that amazes us at the end of a playthrough. This time, my team and I tried something drastically different. With no narrative, eureka moments in Ancestors are sprinkled through your journey and occur as you experiment with known skills to attain new and novel results as you explore, expand and evolve. These skills and knowledge will be transmitted to your fellow tribe members, to your little ones, to your whole lineage. Yes, something as simple as cracking open a coconut, crafting a tool or finding an ointment to heal your wounds can result in an eureka moment in Ancestors. Because we don’t tell you how to do it, you have to figure it out on your own. So be curious, be creative, be adventurous. The game will notice your out of-the-box playstyle and will respond to it by granting you new ways to progress. Every one of us here at Panache hope you will lose yourself in the game, letting your instinct guide you. At the beginning, we warn you that we won’t help you much, and we don’t; we’d rather see how your ingenuity leads you through the uncharted territory and helps you conquer your fear of the unknown. You, Homo sapiens, can you survive like our ancestors did before us? How are you measuring compared to science? Are you better than our ancestors? With that said, good luck on your journey to evolution. Take your time. Be patient. Follow your instincts. View the full article

As we wind down our week of #25YearsOfPlay celebrations, we wanted to leave you with a special treat. We reached out to a few of the biggest names across SIE’s Worldwide Studios to ask a simple question: “What’s your favorite PlayStation game of all time?” Read on to get a peek inside the mind of creators from Santa Monica Studio, Sucker Punch, Guerrilla Games, and more — even the new head of WWS, Hermen Hulst, spared a moment to share his pick! Now that we’ve gotten answers from these 10 creators, it’s your turn: after you’ve read through these selections, hit the comments and tell us: What’s your favorite PlayStation game of all time? Castlevania: Symphony of the Night Cory Barlog Creative Director, Santa Monica Studio No single game that appeared on PlayStation hardware over the years has more solidly formed the foundation of how I make games more than Koji Igarashi’s seminal platforming action/adventure RPG mashup – Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. The tone, world building, mechanics, pacing and level design are absolutely masterful. This game is so timeless that I find myself replaying this game almost yearly and it is STILL compelling! Honorable Mentions The Last of Us Metal Gear Solid Shadow of the Colossus Jason Connell Creative Director, Sucker Punch Shadow of the Colossus is such a classic. It became an instant favorite the moment I played it. The color, light, atmosphere, and music contribute to a mysterious and eerie mood that’s so somber, yet so beautiful. The mechanics were fresh at the time and are still timeless, and I especially love the way you guide the light with your sword in order to explore. So awesome. The game goes to great lengths to deliver a cinematic experience that has always stuck with me. The horse-riding animations and the sheer scale of the Colossi all felt so unique and ahead of their time. To me, Shadow of the Colossus is a masterwork that has provided creative fuel for me throughout my entire career as a game maker. Honorable Mentions Bloodborne Final Fantasy 7 Metal Gear Solid Nicolas Doucet Creative Director & Producer, Japan Studio (Team Asobi) With Metal Gear Solid, it felt like games suddenly took a massive leap forward. Halfway between realism and pure fantasy, it’s a game that totally sucked me in with its stealth action. MGS’s gameplay was innovative at the time and I loved the many ways it surprised players. It also carried a deeper message that keeps us talking about it years on. MGS V may be the best of the series, but this one is the most iconic. Honorable Mentions Ridge Racer Resident Evil God of War (2018) Hermen Hulst Head of Worldwide Studios, Sony Interactive Entertainment So tough this, like having to pick a favorite child. Alright, I’m going to go with God of War. What a beautifully woven story that was — so immersive with the continuous camera, focusing on Kratos’ relationship with his young son Atreus. As the father of a 14 year old when it came out, this story was incredibly recognizable. Atreus finally throwing it all back at Kratos in the latter’s dream sequence – ‘I just wish he was better.’ Creative director Barlog had me there. Reboots can be risky, but Santa Monica Studio succeeded even in making Kratos a likeable character. I loved God of War’s Norse mythology-inspired world so much, I made a trip to Jotumheim recently. Honorable Mentions Uncharted 2 Rayman Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater Bryan Intihar Creative Director, Insomniac Games I went back and forth between choosing MGS1 or MGS3, but at the end of the day I had to choose the latter. I absolutely loved the decision to take the series back in time to the 1960s and its shift to a more natural setting, as well as a greater emphasis on surviving the wild. Oh, and that showdown with the ripely-aged sniper The End—I don’t think I’ve ever been more stressed out during a boss fight! But it’s the larger-than-life characters that has always kept me coming back to this historic franchise, and Snake Eater has some of the absolute best. From the mad Russian Colonel Volgin to the brash (and now much younger) Ocelot, their unique backstories and motivations were only matched by their memorable performances. Yet, whenever I look back at Snake Eater, it’s The Boss who I will never forget. Snake’s mentor is the very definition of being the “hero of her own story.” And if learning why she was doing all of this wasn’t gut-wrenching enough, having to actually pull the trigger to end her life (or the cinematic wouldn’t end) did the trick. For me, that was an all-time gaming moment. Honorable Mentions Uncharted 2: Among Thieves God of War (2018) Resident Evil series (Resident Evil 2 if I have to choose!) Siobhan Reddy Studio Director, Media Molecule I grew up in the era of “strange things happening” stories – the Bermuda triangle and UFOs were big features. I loved choose your own adventure stories, ghost stories, mysteries, and scary fairy tales. These things all terrified me but I loved them. It’s possibly no surprise then that I love horror and the idea that the unexpected can happen and totally change everything around us. In real life, Resident Evil would be really scary. In a video game, it allowed us to suspend belief and just be in that world and help save it. I loved that I felt like I was in some kind of crazy X-Files episode but I was badass with my zombie killing and then when I was able to be nifty with my crafting potions. It changed my perspective of what games could do, and I could see before me that they would join films, theatre and literature as mediums to express a wide range of experiences, emotions and motivations. This series is the reason I make video games, and it has inspired so many other creators. I have loved seeing the horror genre develop in Dreams. Long may the enjoyment of exploring “strange things happening” continue! Honorable Mentions Oddworld: Abe’s Oddyssey Dark Souls 3 Ico Dominic Robilliard Creative Director, Pixelopus Ico is such a memorable game for me, not just because of how beautiful the world, audio and narrative are but because it was the first time an actual gameplay mechanic had affected me emotionally. This story about a young boy trying to save someone is underwritten by a compelling and innovative gameplay ability – holding someone by the hand to guide them and solve puzzles together. The resonance of this game is pinned together by it and makes it so coherent in a truly player-driven way. The experience of playing the game has stuck with me as a ‘feeling’ ever since I finished it for the first time. All of Team Ico’s games have a similarly powerful and memorable emotional quality to their gameplay and worlds, (all of which I love!) but Ico remains my favorite. It absolutely blew me away when I first played it, and expanded my horizons for what games can achieve as a medium. Honorable Mentions Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Tearaway The Last of Us Remastered Jeff Ross Game Director, Bend Studio A case of gameplay and narrative working together in perfect harmony. Naughty Dog’s brave design shattered conventional power fantasies by building mechanics around each character’s physical and developmental limitations, which led to highly immersive and relatable encounters. In the final fight through the hospital corridors, as I cut through waves of Firefly soldiers, my mind raced with grief about Ellie’s fate to the point I engaged in rapid-fire emotional bargaining trying to rationalize an outcome I could live with if she were to die. In Left Behind, I played as Ellie on a fateful night with her best friend in an abandoned mall and peeled back layers of their relationship through creative gameplay like taking pictures in a photo booth, trying on Halloween masks, and a playful water gun battle. I felt first-hand what it’s like for someone born into a bleak and dangerous world to yearn for universal human desires like freedom, idealism, and love. I’ve never inhabited any character’s mind and feelings so fully in another game, but Naughty Dog accomplished this feat twice in one package, and that’s why The Last of Us is my favorite PlayStation game of all time. Honorable Mentions Red Dead Redemption Syphon Filter 2 Journey Angie Smets Studio Director & Executive Producer, Guerrilla A game that moved me tremendously, and has always stuck with me is Journey. It is visually stunning with impeccable sound design, and takes you to a unique and mysterious world while creating emotional connections to its characters and events. It beautifully combines subtle game design and storytelling into a deeply meaningful experience. A profound classic. Honorable Mentions Shadow of the Colossus The Last of Us Demon’s Souls Stuart Whyte Director of VR Product Development, SIE London Studio Demon’s Souls, at least in the UK, was a sleeper hit for the longest time. I remember getting my hands on a US copy and loading it up with very little awareness of the challenges ahead… From the opening section through to the end game Demon’s Souls was a breath of fresh air – an original action RPG with no safety net – no hidden walls to stop you falling off cliffs, no restrictions on being able to accidentally murder a key NPC with a slip of a controller press, and no ability to even pause the game! Each combat encounter was a battle of wits, every trap avoided was a near miss – the experience was stressful but highly unique. The multiplayer was truly pioneering – completely integrated into the single-player experience, black phantom invading and that boss fight, the Old Monk, where you had to battle another player to progress – so original even now. This was the spiritual prequel to games like Dark Souls and Bloodborne. It was, and still is, a masterpiece. Honorable Mentions Final Fantasy VII The Last of Us What a lineup! Our thanks to everyone who participated in this story, and to you for reading it. Finally, thank you for your support over the past quarter-century. In the same way that a console is only as good as the games you can play on it, PlayStation would be nothing without its fans. Happy 25th, everyone. View the full article

The year is almost over, but we’ve got one more State of Play to share with you! It airs Tuesday, December 10 at 6:00am Pacific Time / 9:00am Eastern Time, and you can watch live on Twitch, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. We’ve got around 20 minutes of new game reveals, release date announcements, new gameplay footage, PlayStation Worldwide Studios updates, and more. And it probably bears repeating: Don’t expect any updates related to our next-gen plans in this episode. You can watch live on Twitch, YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook, as usual. Can’t wait to see what you think! See you Tuesday! View the full article

It Came From Space and Ate Our Brains is a twin-stick arcade shooter coming to PS4 in early 2020. Join up to three others in a beautifully stylized world overrun with snarling, pink, brain-hungry aliens. Growing up in the late 80’s and 90’s, the favorite weekend pastime of my brothers and I was playing video games. Keep in mind that this was a time before high-speed internet, before 65” flat screens and before wireless controllers even. This meant we used to take turns or play at the same time, but always sitting right next to each other. Our friends came over to play games, and we even took our consoles with us when we went to visit family. Even now, my brothers and I share fond memories of beating difficult levels together, improving lap times, or finally saving the princess. As time went on, I had a blast playing early online games like Quake and Counter Strike. The best memories from those times were of garage (or attic) LAN-parties at my friends’ houses. During college, we would invite people over to play games before our nights out. Party games, dancing games, fighting games, something for everybody, even those who always said they “didn’t play any games, really.” Those were usually the ones shouting the loudest by the end of each session. Fast-forward to some fifteen years later. I’ve been running a game development company for the better part of a decade now and am the father of three wonderful kids. When we design and build our games, we aim to re-create that experience of many years ago — sitting side-by-side with your siblings, friends, or kids, enjoying great games. This co-op experience is at the core of It Came From Space and Ate Our Brains. Make your way through six campaign missions, then challenge your friends to Survival, where you’ll collaborate while battling each other for the highest scores. Choose and upgrade your favorite weapon each round to make sure you’re ready for that final huge wave of aliens. It Came From Space and Ate Our Brains is a true couch co-op experience that can be enjoyed by everyone and will be available on PS4 early 2020. View the full article

Shuttle Commander, launching December 11 on PS4, puts you in the pilot’s seat for some of America’s most important missions following Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the moon. Now you can embark along the journey of discovery with this modern-age marvel, and take part in the Hubble Space Telescope missions first-hand with accurate recreations of the Hubble, space missions, and shuttle cockpit. A Passage of Time and Space The year: 1990. For perspective: Windows 3, the debut of Photoshop, the first web page. But 1990 also kicked off a series of events unlike any other. On April 24, the Hubble Space Telescope was deployed from Edwards Air Force Base. This launch marked one of the most significant advancements in astronomy since Galileo’s telescope. It would allow astronomists and researchers to ponder questions that had never been asked, to find answers to the unknown. For almost 30 years, the Hubble has sparked a sense of wonderment, letting us explore the expansion and expand the exploration. Even after a lengthy development and problematic beginnings, the Hubble Space Telescope will leave a solid legacy of ground-breaking discoveries and stellar imagery. And so, brings forward our story, our reasoning for our virtual story, our passage through time and space. A Universe in a Metaverse: Artwork, Audio and Animation But just how do you create a universe inside a metaverse? We knew we had an overwhelming task ahead of us. The servicing missions of the Hubble Telescope and its discoveries was going to be no mean feat for a start-up studio. After all, Shuttle Commander is based on one of the longest serving and most successful space crafts, as well as the most famous telescope. Accuracy and detail were very important to us. Thankfully, NASA is very transparent and open to sharing their data, providing the public with a massive database which spans decades of shuttle’s service. Schematics, images, camera footage and thousands of pages of operations manuals were extensively poured through to ensure we made as accurate a recreation as possible, building a solid foundation for our art, animation and audio departments begin their work. Artwork However, creating that accuracy inside a virtual medium isn’t easy. We had to strike a balance, making sure the players have a smooth gaming experience while still providing players with the most visually realistic experience as possible. We found ourselves cutting back on some details we’d have preferred to keep, simplifying meshes and textures. Below is a simple example of our workflow, showing the various stages of creating our assets. Research, modelling and texturing, and finally integration into the Unity Game Engine. We also worked with the developers of the highly popular F-Sim to create an accurate physics-based modelling of the Space Shuttle landings. Players can land at real locations such as White Sands, Kennedy Space Centre or Edwards Airforce Base. Variables such as weather, time of day, approach and turbulence can be edited by players so that even seasoned pilots will be challenged to make a perfect landing. This detailing and accuracy are crucial to making this experience as close to the real experience as possible. Audio But it isn’t just the visual representations that make this experience feel authentic. As with the development of our other VR experiences such as Apollo 11 VR, and Titanic VR, we also focus on aural quality of our audio presentation in order to fully immerse the user. Although a musical score was originally drafted for this scene, it was discarded in order to give the user a more immersive and authentic experience. To recreate the launch animation, which shows in real time what astronauts experience in this remarkable spacecraft, there are 27 tracks used alone. These include a washing machine, hyperbaric oxygen chamber, several rattling gates and window frames, a respirator/dust mask, a lift in a department store, an underwater depth charge, a garage door opening, and a man doing push-ups. As very few people have ever flown onboard a shuttle, we relied heavily on what on-board footage we could find. The best quality came later during the digital age. The final launch of Atlantis with its onboard cameras was a key source. We also relied on the astronauts’ own accounts of the experiences of a launch, from the effects on the body and the emotions they felt before during and after. The audio for the Hubble launch and service missions contains original NASA radio communications. In order to make the experience more user-friendly, we added additional VO. Special thanks to ‘Houston Mike’ here in Immersive VR Education. Mike and our sound engineer Karen had to become familiar with the lingo and acronyms used by NASA while also trying to make it understandable for the user. This was the biggest challenge as we needed to research what every part was, where it went and what its function was. Hubble is an incredibly complicated instrument and repairing it was even more challenging. Animation The goal of our animation pipeline is to create realistic digital characters, that can capture and express the actor’s performances. The process starts in our scanning studio. We photograph the actor with our camera array. This series of photos is used to generate a 3D model. The actor goes through a defined series of poses capturing all the muscle movements necessary to recreate any facial expression. This can be a tiring process for the actor, but it’s worth it for the final effect! The data is then passed to our character artists who use the set of 50-60 3D scans as the basis for their characters and morph shapes. Once this is completed, we move to performance capture. In most scenes we simultaneously capture the actors facial and full body motion. But this isn’t always possible, in this case we opted for “face overs,” capturing the facial performance separately to the body motion. Now that we have facial expressions and body motion, we can then look at animating the character. This is where all work of the character artists, actors, sound engineers and animators come together. It is crafted into one seamless performance. At this stage we have a clear idea of how all the elements are working together. Then the final stage is integration and testing, optimizing all the assets so we have a balance between performance and aesthetics to give the users an enjoyable convincing performance. Shuttle Commander: Hubble Space Telescope Missions is coming to PS VR on December 11. View the full article

We’ve been so impressed by everything our incredible Early Access players have done. We’ve watched people grow into fully-fledged artists, designers, musicians and more. There have been creations we didn’t think possible (and some we’re still convinced are magic). So we’ll be celebrating the best of Early Access Dreams content during our live Twitch stream extravaganza… with special guests, fancy clothes and all the awards show trappings you’d expect. Now, of course, we’re going to need some help from you, the Dreamers, to nominate the best of the best, so check out the categories below and start making your shortlists because nominations are opening Monday! That’s right — follow this handy link to nominate your favorite creations and creators from Early Access. The categories for the IMPY Awards are: Creator of the Year Dream of the Year Best Visuals Best Narrative Best Sculpture Best Song Best Animation Best Gameplay Best Curator Best Character Best Sound Design Best Voice Acting Funniest Creation The ‘’Awww-ard’ (Oh wow, it’s SO cute) Most Improved Dreamer Hidden Gem Creator* Hidden Gem Dream* The Wish-I-Had-Thought-Of-That Award* Community Star* Most Helpful Dreamer* Favorite Streamer* *Voted by community After the nominations are in, we’ll be publishing our shortlists for each category in January and then asking you to vote on the Hidden Gem, Community Star, Most Helpful Dreamer, Favorite Streamer and Wish-I-Had-Thought-Of-That-Awards. The winners of the other categories will be voted on by a panel of Mm developers and special guest judges. We are truly excited to celebrate all of the amazing creations in the Dreamiverse with you on January 26 and we’ll have a stream full of fun and surprises. Now, you may ask — does this mean Early Access is nearing an end? Yes, yes it does — the last day you can purchase Early Access will be December 7 at 3:59pm PST. Anyone who has purchased Early Access by this date will still be able to play Dreams after the 8th and will upgrade to the full version of Dreams when it launches for no extra cost. At the studio, we’ve been collecting all the feedback, fixing the bugs and working to make the full version of Dreams the best experience for everyone — those who want to play, those who want to create and those who aspire to learn. Some of that work includes adding a non-motion control scheme for the game, helping new players learn to create, more tutorials and how-to content for players of all skill levels, improving existing features like Community Jams, the Homespace and Imp Quests and adding more content, including our first piece of Mm story-telling in Dreams, Art’s Dream. We hope you’re going to love all of it and our Early Access players deserve a huge mega-thanks for joining us on this journey. There is still a tiny bit of time to join the fun in Early Access before it closes but if you prefer to wait for launch we’ll be just as excited to welcome you into the Dreamiverse then. Thanks again to everyone who has supported us along the way — we can’t wait to see what you’ll dream up next and hope you’ll join us to watch the first annual IMPY Awards. When nominations open, join in on the fun (and make sure to read the guidelines!). Then join us on our Twitch Channel on January 26 to see the results – you can also tune in Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5pm GMT for our regular Dreams Streams. Stay tuned to our social channels to see the IMPY shortlists in January and get more information on how to vote for the community categories. View the full article

Hi everyone! Dom here again, Creative Director of Pixelopus. Now that some time has passed since the release of Concrete Genie, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on the successful launch, amazing reviews, great fan support — and also to let you know about a little surprise we have in store for you all that will drop today! When we were making Concrete Genie, we knew that there may have been risk involved in making something with such a personal message, and with uniquely creative gameplay at its heart. It was such an overwhelming surprise to read all the great reviews and see such a wonderful heartfelt response from the PlayStation community. All of us here at Pixelopus are incredibly touched by the support, and particularly those who have reached out to say how much the themes in the game have moved them, or better still, helped them in some way. This was one of our greatest hopes when making the game. We have also been thrilled to hear from families and gamers of all ages who have been enjoying Concrete Genie together. We designed the game and its story to appeal to all ages but, in particular, we hoped that families could benefit from the universal themes and creative gameplay. This has been so rewarding to watch! We hope that many more families over the holiday period (and beyond) continue to enjoy everything that Concrete Genie has to offer. Please continue to help us spread the word about this game, and what it is about. It has made such a difference so far and we are really grateful for the help! Finally, and perhaps most excitingly, we have a surprise gift for everyone who owns a copy of Concrete Genie! We have built a special Holiday Brush Design Pack, which everyone who owns the game will get for free*! It’s the perfect way for us to say thank you for the support, and to help everyone get into the festive spirit. When you download the patch which is released today, you will be greeted with a new message asking if you would like to activate the holiday pack. Once you say yes, you can load up your existing saves, or start a new game, and find that many of the brushes have been given a holiday makeover! We had so much fun making this special set of brushes and can’t wait to see the holiday scenes you paint with them. You can also turn them on/off in the front end menu at any time. We hope you enjoy this holiday gift from us to you, and please keep on sharing all your wonderful masterpieces on Twitter and Instagram! *Requires patch 1.06. Patch requires internet connection and an account for PlayStation Network. Holiday Day Brush designs may be terminated at any time. View the full article

Arise: A Simple Story is the debut title from Piccolo Studio, a small group of creators who set out to create an emotional, bittersweet journey that takes place across a series of distinct, ethereal landscapes. Take control of time itself, reliving moments of joy and tragedy as you look back on the events of your life. Experience this journey Tuesday on PS4. Stardust Odyssey is a new PlayStation VR title from the team at Agharta Studio, putting players in control of an airborne vessel with an intuitive control scheme that makes weaving through stages and liberating precious cargo from nearby ships a delight. Read more about Stardust Oddysey here, then pick the game up on Tuesday. Other highlights this week include Star Ocean First Departure R, Where the Water Tastes Like Wine, and Hatsune Miku VR. For a full list of new games coming to PlayStation next week, read on. And enjoy The Drop! Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey PS4 — Digital (Out 12/6) Explore Africa 10 million years ago as you expand your clan and evolve to the next generation in Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey, a new third-person open world survival game from the creator of Assassin’s Creed. Arise: A Simple Story PS4 — Digital Set out on an emotional journey through the bittersweet lives of two people where memories come alive and time bends to your will. Lose yourself in moments of happiness and overcome every hardship as you relive your life’s story. A story of joy and sorrow. A simple story. Big Pharma PS4 — Digital (Out 12/5) Big Pharma is part business sim, part logistics puzzle. It’s one thing to work in the lab perfecting new formulas, but converting the ‘sciency stuff’ into cold hard cash means bringing an engineering and business mind to the problem. Factory space is expensive, and those fancy new agglomerators and centrifuges don’t always slot nicely together. Blair Witch PS4 — Digital Inspired by the cinematic lore of Blair Witch, experience a new story-driven psychological horror game that studies your reactions to fear and stress. With just your loyal dog Bullet by your side, navigate your way through a cursed forest that warps and distorts both time and space. Stand against the horrors of the Blair Witch and the decaying sanity of a man burdened by his past. Classic Snake Adventures PS4 — Digital (Out 12/6) A 4K reboot of the classic retro game snake introduced in 1997. Remade with gorgeous hand-drawn 2D art and a 3D snake which can bend and change size and speed during gameplay. A state-of-the-art game with the retro beloved gameplay of snake 97. Cuisine Royale PS4 — Digital Cuisine Royale is a brutal multiplayer last-man-standing shooter with realistic weaponry, mystic traps and demonic rituals. Draw bloody mystic seals or conduct ancient rituals to heal allies, slow down enemies, set numerous traps, summon zombies, and more. EarthNight PS4 — Digital EarthNight is an illustrated procedurally generated platformer that takes place in a dystopian future just after the dragon apocalypse. Sydney and Stanley have had enough! They’ve decided to skydive back down to the planet, taking out as many dragons as they can. Jump and dash your way across the backs of dragons on your way down to Earth in classic 2D side-scrolling action. Fight’N Rage PS4 — Digital Set in a far future where humans are enslaved by mutants, Fight’N Rage is a side-scroller beat’em up inspired by the classics from the 90’s arcade gems. In a world where “the law of the jungle” prevails… two humans and a mutant rebel are willing to fight in order to stop this madness. Hatsune Miku VR PS VR — Digital (Out 12/6) World-famous virtual singer Hatsune Miku invites you to her VR music game! Aim for the perfect score as she sings and dances to some of her most iconic songs. Choose a song and catch the melody symbols as they fly from the speakers. You can also turn the symbols off and just enjoy watching Miku sing and dance. Heroland PS4 — Digital, Retail You’re invited to a magical theme park where anyone can be a hero — except for you. You just work there! Conjured from your 16-bit dreams by the legends of Japanese RPGs, this whimsical tale of princes and part-timers guarantees excitement that cannot be forgotten. Immortal Planet PS4 — Digital (Out 12/6) Immortal Planet is an action RPG with challenging combat that rewards patience and punishes recklessness. Explore the crumbling remains of a society of immortals trapped in endless cycles of rebirth. Fight your way to discover the planet’s mystery and escape its curse. Jigsaw Solace PS4 — Digital Jigsaw Puzzle Game for the whole family! Welcome to JigSawSolace, a calming and relaxing puzzle experience, with six different themes to choose from, four different difficulty size to adjust any time while playing, and 30 high quality puzzle images. SaGa Scarlet Grace: Ambitions PS4 — Digital With the fate of the world uncertain, follow the journey of Urpina, Taria, Balmant, and Leonard as they call on their might and set out to carve a new future. Take charge and shape your own adventure with ultimate freedom of choice. Simulacra PS4 — Digital Simulacra is an interactive FMV horror game about exploring a missing woman’s phone — from the creators of Sara is Missing. Recover lost files, piece back corrupted data, and retrace her final steps. Find her before it’s too late. Ski Jumping Pro VR PS VR — Digital (Out 12/6) Ski Jumping Pro VR delivers the sheer thrills of hurtling down a snow-packed ski ramp like no other game. Enjoy the sensation of incomparable height and speed.The ultra-realistic VR experience and a full single-player career mode make Ski Jumping Pro the ultimate winter sports simulation. Space Blaze PS4 — Digital (Out 12/5) Space Blaze taps into that old-school sideways scrolling shoot’em up, by leading you through seven challenging levels filled with action. There are three different weapon systems with a single mega-weapon for each and don’t forget that classic 80s games feature – a giant boss to shoot it out with at the end of each level. Stardust Odyssey PS VR — Digital The evil of the Abyss is back, and it is up to you to stop the threat! Steer alone or with a friend through 14 colorful levels filled with treasures and secrets. Explore the forgotten lands of Stardust Odyssey and thwart the traps set by the Guardians using powerful spells. Combine their effects to overcome gigantic bosses with fearsome capabilities! Star Ocean First Departure R PS4 — Digital (Out 12/5) Space Date: 346. Our tale begins on the primitive planet of Roak where Roddick lives in the peaceful and uneventful town of Kratus. A member of the village’s local “Defence Force” learns of a mysterious disease in the neighboring town. Those infected turn to stone, but continue to live on in a petrified state. Thus, the story of Star Ocean begins… Tools Up! PS4 — Digital Tools Up! is an exciting party co-op letting you test your renovation and teamwork skills. Paint walls, tear off wallpaper, and move couches against the clock! Home renovation has never been so much fun! Trax PS4 — Digital (Out 12/2) Build fast, fun and challenging tracks with the track builder, and mix it up with your own track designs. Choose pieces of track and assemble new and exciting circuits or pick one from the twelve included pre-built World race tracks. Play against your friends or play against the computer. Choose from four classic cars, then customize your ride. Where the Water Tastes Like Wine PS4 — Digital (Out 12/2) Where the Water Tastes Like Wine is a narrative-adventure game about traveling, sharing stories, and surviving manifest destiny. Featuring gorgeous hand-drawn illustrations, Where the Water Tastes Like Wine combines 2D visuals with a 3D overworld US map. Winter Sports Games PS4 — Digital (Out 12/5) Win tournaments and master challenges in six tense disciplines. Play by yourself or with up to four players at your home – no runny nose after every competition! Whether you enjoy skiing, barrelling down an ice track in a bobsleigh or sled, or calmly sliding the stones across the ice in curling – you can have it all here. Wizards of Brandel PS4, PS Vita — Digital (Cross-Buy) You wake up and notice… that your house is gone! Retrieve your life back through a new adventure in a fantasy RPG. The young wizard Darius loses his house after he fails to make a loan repayment, and ends up living for free in the house of a wanted sorcerer! Year in Music – 2019 Mariah Carey – Merry Christmas Coldplay: Everyday Life Rambo: Last Blood Ad Astra Abominable The information above is subject to change without notice. View the full article

Last week, we asked you to give Sam a break and take in the scenery in Death Stranding. While trekking across the country and reconnecting a fractured world, you sent us your best landscape shots using #PS4share and #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights: The fog rolls across the scene in this share by lorsteibel. Snow is in the distance in this share from McSquiggleeo. Sam takes in the rocky terrain in this share by Ps4SwitchNoob. Sam stumbles across a waterfull in this share from rokku_d_rock. SaraEshak shared this haunting view from a watchtower. virtual.adventurer took a look down a newly built road. Search #PS4share and #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme. Want to be featured in next week’s Share of the Week? Theme: 25th Anniversary – Personal Collection Share by: 9am Pacific on Wednesday, December 4 Next week, PlayStation celebrates #25YearsOfPlay! To celebrate, share real-life photos of PlayStation’s place in your life these past 25 years. Have a favorite console or game? Want to show off your gaming setup? Have a PlayStation tattoo? We want to see them! Share using #PSBlog and #25YearsOfPlay for a chance to be featured! View the full article

Whether you’re piloting a towering Titan or kicking up dirt on the racetrack, December’s PS Plus games put you in control of fast-moving, powerful machines. More on this month’s free games for PS Plus members: Titanfall 2 The only thing standing between victory and defeat for the Frontier Militia is the perfect combination of man and machine – Titan and Pilot. In Titanfall 2, an intense first-person-shooter from Respawn Entertainment, you’ll experience high-speed mobility as a nimble Pilot who can quickly maneuver the battlefield both in distance and verticality. But when the scale of battle shifts, you’ll be able to call in a hulking Titan war machine for you to pilot to turn the tide of battle. Featuring a critically-acclaimed single player campaign, players will take on the mantle of rifleman-turned-Pilot Jack Cooper, who finds themselves trapped behind enemy lines with BT-7274, his new Titan partner. To escape the IMC and save the day, they’ll have to learn to work together and become an effective fighting unit. The skills you earn in single player also carry over to Titanfall 2’s explosive multiplayer modes where mayhem rules supreme for anyone looking to take the fight online.* Monster Energy Supercross — The Official Videogame Monster Energy Supercross – The Official Videogame contains official bikes, tracks and riders, of the Supercross Championship. You’re also able to customize bikes & riders with numerous brands and items to design your ideal rider and face players around the world. The Track Editor lets you make and share your own custom creations with other players. Start with a stadium of choice, then craft away and share it with the community. Titanfall 2 and Monster Energy Supercross – The Official Videogame will be available from December 3 to January 6. Naturally, this means you only have a few days left to grab November’s PS Plus games – Nioh and Outlast 2 – so make sure to download these games before December 3. Also, for PS VR** owners, December features a Limited Free Trial / Double XP week for Firewall Zero Hour – just for PS Plus members! The Limited Free Trial will be available on the PS Store December 3rd (8AM PT) to December 9th (8AM PT). Players can squad up and dive straight into battle — testing out the latest maps, weapons, and equipment. Complete missions, earn rewards, and level up with Double XP! For more information about PS Plus, visit our webpage. *Internet connection and PS Plus membership (sold separately) required for online multiplayer. ** Please review and follow all safety guidelines for use of PlayStation VR. PlayStation VR is not for use by children under age 12. PlayStation 4 system, PlayStation VR and PlayStation Camera are required to experience VR functionality. View the full article

The ability to play in multiplayer mode is a defining feature in The Dark Pictures Anthology — a series of stand-alone, branching cinematic horror games from the creators of Until Dawn. The first installment in the anthology, Man of Medan, follows the story of five friends who have embarked on what should have been a fun-filled adventure in the South Pacific seas, only to find themselves trapped aboard a ghost ship with a dark and twisted secret. As a special offer, Supermassive Games is giving owners of Man of Medan a free Friend’s Pass for a limited time. From today until January 6, 2020, players who own the full game (including those who have purchased previously) will receive one free Friend’s Pass which will allow them to invite a friend to one complete playthrough of the game in Shared Story mode, without the friend needing to own the full version of the game. (Please note: both players will need a PS Plus account to play Shared Story Mode.) How it Works The feature is included in the latest update, so the owner of the full game needs to have the latest version of the game. Once you have that, navigate to the Shared Story mode via the main menu. From here, invite your friend to play the game. In order to accept the invitation and begin playing, your friend will need to have downloaded the trial version of Man of Medan available at PS Store. Once you have used your Friend’s Pass it will have been consumed and is no longer available. And more exciting news, Supermassive Games confirms that the Curator’s Cut, which was previously an exclusive pre-order bonus, is now free for everyone to download from Playstation Store. The Curator’s Cut allows you to play an alternative version of the story which was previously unavailable in your first playthrough. Play new scenes, receive new information, make new choices that affect the story and see the game through different characters’ eyes. If you haven’t yet, get your copy of Man of Medan today and give the gift of fear this holiday season. The Friend’s Pass is available for players until mid-January, so be sure to not miss out! Happy holidays, and remember… Don’t. Play. Alone. View the full article

The recent State of Play was unforgettable for all of us at Piccolo Studio, as we finally got to show you our passion project, Arise: A Simple Story. When our debut game arrives on December 3, it will take you on a bittersweet journey, where memories — both happy and tragic — come alive. The secret ingredient After we laid down the narrative foundation for the game, we started looking for a way to genuinely engage players and at the same time enrich our vision of an emotional, deeply personal odyssey. At the very start we agreed that each facet of Arise, every single idea has to serve the emotional goal of the game’s story. The theme of Arise is looking back at one’s life, and it was natural for us to use time manipulation as a core mechanic in the game. We started with the idea of two kids running through the woods, and how manipulating time could represent the joy of childhood: we pictured a huge field of sunflowers that tilt towards the sun as it travels across the sky. We would give players the ability to command time and indirectly control the sunflowers to create a platforming path out of their giant flower heads. We’ve had dozens of such ideas, many of which you’ll play through in the game. However, some were left on the cutting room floor, as to us the time manipulation mechanic had to be much more than just a flashy gimmick or a simple tool to overcome environmental obstacles. Of all design challenges we had to face while working on Arise, the greatest was to make sure every timelapse serves a narrative purpose by intensifying the emotions we want to evoke in each of ours carefully crafted levels. Your life in four dimensions The basic rules of time manipulation stay the same throughout your trek – you intuitively fast-forward, rewind and freeze time with the right analog stick, while you explore the environment with the left. We are however constantly changing the scale and the speed of time bending. At the beginning of the game you command whole seasons, and it is a joy to watch how spring forces snow to retreat in a few heartbeats or winter regains its icy grip, should you need a frozen lake to progress. On another occasion you can shift time only by seconds. You know how in dramatic moments time stretches and every second seems to last forever? That’s the tension we were going for in some segments of the game, where you need to revisit intense episodes from your past and you get stuck on that dreadful memory you can’t shake off. On the other end of the wide emotional spectrum of Arise you’ll find the tranquility and joy of a perfect spring day you spent with someone you love. Regardless of how we’re using this gameplay mechanic on each level to conjure up an ever-surprising, thought-provoking journey, time always bends around the main character without affecting him directly. There’s more to it than prosaic design-related reasons but I’ll leave this one for you to find out on your own. Or with someone special you’ll invite to enjoy Arise with you. The time manipulation mechanic also allowed us to devise an instantly accessible couch co-op mode putting the second player in charge of time, so that the two of you can go on a magical journey together. You can learn more about how our dreams came true and what emotions drove us to create Arise from our first blog post. If you’re eager to immerse yourself in Arise’s wonderful world of memories, you can match your mood with either of the two beautiful dynamic themes, Hope and Warmth, available for free at PlayStation Store. View the full article

November’s content update for Gran Turismo Sport (Patch 1.50) will be available Tuesday, November 27, at 8:00PM PST.** Lewis Hamilton Time Trial Challenge Challenge the lap times of Lewis Hamilton! Introducing a new paid DLC for Gran Turismo Sport.* This is a single-player game mode in which the player challenges best lap times set by none other than the “Maestro of Gran Turismo Sport” and real-life six-time F1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton, who personally set these lap records in Gran Turismo Sport. More than a driving challenge, included are driving replays of Lewis Hamilton and video tutorials by Lewis himself, where you can take on the challenges while really learning to improve your skill from the Maestro.
 This DLC will be made available at PS Store starting November 28. Features include various cars awarded for clearing the events, as well as an unlock for the game credit limit and other special prizes. Purchase the DLC at PS Store for $7.99 and challenge the lap times of a true World Champion! 10 Challenges A total of 10 challenges using the ‘Mercedes-AMG GT3’ and the ‘Sauber Mercedes C9’ await you. Practice Makes Perfect: Replays and Ghosts of Lewis In all of these challenges, it’s possible to play back replays of Lewis Hamilton and display his ghost car. You can check driving data such as braking points and throttle operations whenever and as many times as you like. And even if his ghost car leaves you behind, you can set the game to reset the ghost position back near the player’s location at every sector, and even set an offset time (in seconds) with the ghost to drive these time trials as though you were racing against Lewis in person! Strategy Guide Some tracks are provided with a video tutorial with Lewis Hamilton giving advise on how to tackle these tracks. Learn the techniques of a World Champion. Global Online Rankings Each Challenge will be compatible with Friend Rankings and the Top 10 Stars. You can compete not only against Lewis Hamilton’s records, but against players from all over the world. Rewards & Award Credits Setting lap times with Bronze or better results will award you in-game Credits. Clearing all challenges will also award you further bonus credits. Unlocking the Credit Limit Cap Good news for players at the Credit Limit who were starting to lose credits after races: Achieving Gold or better results in all challenges will unlock the Game Credit Limit from the original 20 million credits to 100 million credits. Car rewards Cars will be awarded as special rewards for each challenge achievement level. Users who succeed in clearing even harder conditions will receive a special prize with a design supervised by Lewis Hamilton’s very own “Project 44” team! Patch 1.50 Free Update: 5 New Vehicles, GT League, and Circuit Experience for Spa-Francorchamps New Vehicles RE Amemiya FD3S RX-7 (N400) Jaguar Vision Gran Turismo Coupe 20 (Gr.X) RUF CTR3 ’07 (N700) Toyota 86 GT “Limited” ’16 (N200) BMW M3 Coupe ’03 (N300) Featured Car: RE Amemiya FD3S RX-7(N400) The Amemiya μ Boost up 7 is a road car created by the RE Amemiya Corporation, the legendary tuner of rotary powered cars renowned for its activity in the Super GT and D1GP. The front, rear, and side aerodynamic parts and the fixed position sleek light kit are all RE Amemiya original designs. RE Amemiya has a variety of aerodynamic parts available including even a GT replica kit, but this particular model has a presence that stands out from the others. In terms of driving performance, the specs live up to the unique exterior. Although the turbo is kept as standard with power only increased through additional boost, the car still produces over 364 BHP with a maximum boost of 1 kg, along with a maximum torque of 47 kgfm. It is set up to produce abundant torque from the mid-range. It is also equipped with a horizontally mounted intercooler kit, an aftermarket air cleaner, dolphin tail exhaust, and everything from the cooling system, accessories and exhaust system have been thoroughly revised. In addition to these engine characteristics, the Quantum-based Amemiya spec adjustable suspension has been perfected to a level which draws out the true character of the FD3S as the ultimate cornering machine. In the Japanese DVD magazine, Hot Version, it was shown to be utterly unbeatable on winding roads, and was dubbed the ‘The demon-lord of mountain roads.’ GT League Beginner League: two new rounds added to the The Passion of Dr. Wankel Amateur League: two new rounds added to the Boxer Spirit Professional League: two new rounds added to the Vision Gran Turismo Trophy + Endurance League: one new round added to the X2019 Competition Endurance Series Remember, you can find all the latest GT info here at PlayStation.Blog and on the official Gran Turismo website. Until next time, drivers, we’ll see you out on the track. *Lewis Hamilton Time Trial Challenge DLC requires purchase through PS Store ** Internet connection required View the full article

The world still needs heroes! Overwatch 2 was announced earlier this month during Blizzcon 2019’s opening ceremony, and with the reveal of this sequel came plenty of questions: How exactly will it tie into Overwatch 1? What’s the deal with the new story-centric additions? What about new customization options? Blizzard was kind enough to provide answers to these questions and more via Aaron Keller, Overwatch 2’s assistant game director, and Michael Chu, lead writer on the project. PlayStation.Blog: If there was one objective for Overwatch 2, what would it be? Aaron Keller, Blizzard: The world of Overwatch is incredibly compelling and we want players to be able to experience more of it than ever before. We’re able to explore so much more of this universe by playing this game in an entirely new way, through missions against AI rather than matches against other players. Story Missions tell an engaging narrative about how the heroes of Overwatch respond to a new global threat. Additionally Hero Missions provide a deeply replayable co-op experience through a wide variety of locations all over the world. Players will level their heroes and use different elements to modify their abilities and power levels. PSB: What is the in-universe story you’re aiming to tell with Overwatch 2? Michael Chu, Blizzard: For the last few years, we’ve been leading up to this story. The story of Overwatch 2 is the next step of the Overwatch story. You’ve been introduced to the main characters, to the conflicts, and the history of the world, but now we’re moving to the next chapter: Winston has pushed the button and recalled the Overwatch agents to fight against the threats the world faces. Now we know that some of the heroes have answered, but what will they do? How will the world react to them? And is Overwatch the solution the world needs? That’s what we’re looking to explore. PSB: Was there ever a reality where Overwatch 2 wasn’t so closely linked to the first game? Or was a shared experience always the goal? AK: Overwatch has always been a world class team based shooter and we’re committed to that part of the game. There was never any intention of abandoning that side of the game in favor of the Co-op experience. In scoping out Overwatch 2 we always knew that we couldn’t leave behind any of our 50 million players. PSB: What are you aiming to add to the gameplay mix on the battlefield with the new Heroes? AK: We’ve got lots of heroes in the works currently for Overwatch 2. We can’t get into who they are exactly, or what their gameplay might be like, but they will help round out the world of Overwatch and give us new gameplay mechanics we have not yet seen. Overall, Overwatch 2 will be offering players new gameplay changing ways to play our heroes in Hero Missions. For instance, we like to give the example of Reinhardt’s Talent called “Epicenter” where instead of a cone effect for his Earthshatter ability, it becomes an Earthshatter with a full 360-degree effect around him. PSB: Even though Sojourn is set to debut in Overwatch 2, it seems that earlier versions of the character appeared in prior cinematics. Did you know back then she would eventually be a main character in Overwatch 2, or did her status in the game evolve over time? MC: Sojourn has existed as a character in the Overwatch universe for many years now, even before the game released. She’s a central figure to the Overwatch organization, and a critical character moving forward. She’s made appearances in different stories we’ve told lately, but she will be extremely important to the events that take place in Overwatch 2 and we are so excited to finally be able to tell her story. PSB: Is Overwatch 2 competitive play fundamentally similar to Overwatch 1, or will OW1 players be greeted by an overhauled and updated competitive experience once the OW1 and OW2 clients officially merge? AK: The competitive experience in Overwatch is incredibly important to us. We are continually working on it and have plans for changes to it with Overwatch 2 but aren’t ready to share any concrete details just yet. However current Overwatch players and Overwatch 2 players will play together in the same Competitive Play environment once Overwatch 2 launches. PSB: What are you able to say about the story of Overwatch’s world with Overwatch 2 that you weren’t able to say with previous methods (character trailers, cinematics, etc.)? MC: There are two things that immediately come to mind. With story missions, we’ll have a more traditional way to tell a story in the Overwatch universe: a complete story with beginning, middle, and end. In addition, we’ve finally moved the story forward after Winston’s recall, and we hope to continue to push events into the future in the stories to come. AK: Overwatch 2 also gives us the opportunity on the tech side to tell more story. The maps are almost 2X larger than regular Overwatch maps. They’ve also got way more advanced technology to show dynamic weather, lightning, explosions, and more. We like to say that our maps are almost another character in helping with Overwatch 2 storytelling. Each Story Mission will come with an intro cinematic and outro cinematic as well. We’ve partnered with our teammates in the Story and Franchise team to help build out many cinematics for story missions, which we think will be a major treat for our players. PSB: Is the story / PvE content in Overwatch 2 going to follow a similar format to earlier seasonal events in Overwatch 1, or are we talking something more akin to a full-on single-player campaign? How long have you wanted to put the story in Overwatch more front-and-center? MC: We have always considered Overwatch as a universe that we want to tell stories in. Overwatch (the game) was the first expression of this universe, but we have been experimenting with PvE in the annual Archives events, and have certainly heard from the community that it’s something that they are interested in. With story missions in Overwatch 2, we have the opportunity to make good on this, and explore the Overwatch universe in new ways. We like to call the story a Story Experience. It’s not quite a single-player campaign in that you will be playing the story alongside three other players in co-op. Players will experience the story together with their friends. PSB: Is there any cross-over progression or synergy between the PvE and PvP modes in Overwatch 2? AK: Currently PvE progression and PvP progression are entirely separate. We don’t want gameplay changing talents and abilities to give an unfair advantage in PvP. We’re still exploring what players can earn in PvE and building out the progression system for that. Our goal is to make a robust meaningful progression system that feeds into our Hero Missions where players can play and replay for many hours or as their main mode of play after they complete the Overwatch 2 story. PSB: Team attacks appear to be a focus in the Overwatch 2 cinematic trailer. Is they reflected in-game in any way? AK: Team work and using hero abilities in different combinations has always been a core part of Overwatch gameplay, think of Hanzo’s dragon used along with a Graviton Surge. Zero Hour is a cinematic representation of synergies that already exist. In Overwatch 2 we’ll see new abilities and talents that players can discover, offering new powerful combinations to mix and match. PSB: Is Blizzard experimenting with any updates to the cosmetics and character customization system? Will new character costumes continue to roll out for legacy OW1 characters in OW2? AK: We love all of our heroes and will continue to make cosmetic items for all of them with the release of Overwatch 2. We’re still early to talk about what cosmetic items might be available in Overwatch 2 or how those systems might change. We can say we’ll have many options for cosmetics in Overwatch 2. PSB: Aesthetically speaking, are there any character model changes that folks may have missed? AK: I’m not sure if everyone knows this but Lucio’s new look is dynamic to which song he plays. His hair and the visual effects on his suit change in color and beat he plays. His hair also glows in the dark. Pay special attention to gameplay footage of his suit changing between his Speed song and Healing song and whenever he drops the beat with his Sound Barrier. We’re continuing to update almost all the heroes with new looks for Overwatch 2, so we’ll have plenty more cool changes to each of our heroes in the roster. View the full article

Hey there, Overachievers! In this article, we wanted to discuss everything about the unlockable content in Shovel Knight Showdown. You know what we mean by “Unlocks”? We mean when you’re playing a game and new features or elements are added, expanding your game experience. We love unlockable content, variety, and secrets in general, so we were excited to develop unlocks into an integral part of the experience for Shovel Knight Showdown. Unlock Outset From the very beginning of development, we hoped that Shovel Knight Showdown would be chock full of content that we’d want players to unlock. There would be all sorts of characters, costumes, levels, modes, and who knows what else! But how would it all work? As we so often tend to do, we thought back to our favorite experiences with a feature, and tried to analyse why we thought it was fun. For unlocks, it went something like: Surprise – The surprise of unlocking something cool is fun (if you don’t know what you’re getting)! Accomplishment – When presented well, unlocks provide a great sense of accomplishment and progression. Looking through your trophy checklist, or having a particularly rare unlock that can be showed off. Ramping – Having everything unlocked from the start can be overwhelming! If everything is all accessible, it doesn’t give players a chance to learn each new element in the game at an appropriate pace. Unlocks also give us a chance to teach new elements in a regimented way; for example, unlocking stages in order of complexity. By the end, you’re an expert! Motivation – Unlocks keep things fresh and provide motivation to keep on playing. “If I can just pull off this maneuver, I’ll get this new stage I really want!”. While we have fond memories of unlocking content in our favorite games, it’s not always been a universally loved mechanic. Lately, especially as many popular game series have become bigger, more varied, and more expansive, unlock systems have come under the microscope and aren’t always greeted in such a positive light. Let’s dig into some of the common complaints from the perspective of players: Too Much! – Now that there’s so much content, unlocking a giant laundry list of stuff could be a ton of work! It isn’t fun! Tedium – It takes so long to unlock everything! Mode Mismatches – I can’t unlock stuff by playing what I enjoy! All I want to do is play multiplayer… I don’t want to play single player to unlock anything. Save Data Woes – Not having all the content unlocked from the start stinks for multiplayer. With no Save Data, I just want to play everything with my friends! Now my party is ruined! Painful for Experts – For players that already know everything about all the content and how it works – why do they have to wait to unlock it all? With all these potential pitfalls, we knew we had to take great care in designing our unlock system. With Shovel Knight: Showdown’s scope nailed down enough to begin creating an unlock system, we set to work. Our Approach With our positives and negatives in mind, we formulated a set of core questions: What content could be presented as unlockable content, and what couldn’t? How do we award unlockable content? Under what conditions do elements get unlocked? What order will everything be unlocked in? How will unlockable content be presented to the player? And what actually happens when an unlock gets unlocked? Unlockable Content is a minefield, hee hee hee! So let’s answer those questions! What of Our Content Could Be Unlockable? There are so many elements to Shovel Knight Showdown, but we didn’t want locked content to pare down the initial experience. We wanted players enjoying all of the game’s features right away, meaning nothing should be less fun because a feature wasn’t yet unlocked. It was important that Showdown’s core features like Game Modes, Items, and Options were all available from the start. This process of elimination left only a few categories for what could be awarded to players as an unlock: Characters, Stages, Palettes, and Costumes. Once we had these categories, choosing the initial contents proved to be quite a challenge! After all, the player’s first impression of the game hinges on what cool things they see as soon as they begin! Characters Character unlocks are tricky because some players wouldn’t be able to choose their favorite characters from the get-go. We decided that the novelty of trying each character would offset the wait to unlock any potential favorites, and we wouldn’t make players wait too long. The initial Showdown roster! We did our best to make sure the initial roster comprised a fun, familiar, and diverse group of characters. The main characters of the single player games – Shovel Knight, Plague Knight, Specter Knight, and King Knight – are all unlocked from the outset. We included some characters that would be exciting because it was their debut as playables – Shield Knight and Black Knight. Finally, we chose some characters to give players a taste of what would be coming next, while providing drastically different play styles- Propeller Knight and Polar Knight. Propeller Knight has nuanced wind attacks and unique air mobility, while Polar Knight’s huge figure shows very clearly the differences between character sizes. Stages Shovel Knight Showdown features a unique combination of platforming and battling. This made choosing the initial stage set interesting because players would have no idea of what to expect! The initial Stage roster. It looks so teeny compared to when it’s all unlocked! We had a lot of flexibility to show off whatever stages we wanted here, but we felt it was important to pick stages that best showed off our core concepts, set pieces, and variety. This would leave room for later stage concepts that require more complex understanding of the characters’ mobility. Palettes and Costumes Palettes are both effective and simple to implement, so we crafted 8 palettes per character. Additionally, some characters have ‘Costumes’, meaning totally different animation sets. Character Palettes and Costumes don’t affect gameplay at all, so they felt like natural unlock fodder. We ensured that players would have at least one costume, and each character had four alternate palettes, available from the start. Palettes could be unlocked in sets of 4 since we had so many. Everyone starts with 5 palettes! It can be disappointing to start multiplayer games if you don’t have the option to immediately customize your character to some extent, so hopefully it’s a good balance. By the end of the game, you’ll have a veritable kaleidoscope of character palettes. How will Players Earn Unlocks? We love accomplishing little challenges to earn Trophies and Feats- if they’re done well. It’s a blast to overcome a tough challenge and be rewarded! Developing these unlock requirements was difficult because there are so many pitfalls. First, it can be boring when unlocks are too easy or require tedious grinding. Second, if the unlock method is unclear, it can feel like your unlock progress is random. We’re asking players to do this stuff, so it had better be good! Because of the similarities unlocks had with our currently-existing Feats (if you’re unfamiliar, Feats are like Shovel Knight’s in-game achievement system), we thought about unlocks the same way we did Feats: Unlocks were chosen to be thematically appropriate, balanced, and fun. First, we divvied up our unlock content and assigned goals to it. We strove to pick unique requirements for each unlock that felt fun and thematic! Unlocking a character’s new palette set would require some cool display of that character’s skill. A major unlock like a new character might require you to encounter them as a rival in another character’s story. For all the unlocks, we tried to make sure the unlock method was somewhat themed to the content received, so it didn’t feel random. For example, ‘KO’ing 100 total opponents would unlock the Lich Yard stage- which makes sense because the Lich Yard is a creepy graveyard! To combat any confusion toward unlock methods, we laid out a menu where you could clearly see what would be unlocked, and how. While it was cool that the unlockables were clear… at the same time, the surprise of unlocking something was gone! So we also built in a system where some of the unlocks and their requirements would begin as “????”, and would be listed more clearly as the player unlocked related elements: As the player does more feats, more unlock requirements naturally appear. For example, the unlock method for a character’s palettes will only be displayed once that character is unlocked. We could hide any piece of information: what category an unlock is (Character, Stage, Palette, Costume), what is actually unlocked (Shovel Knight, Shovel Knight’s palette, etc), or the requirements for an unlock. A delicate balance was struck between spoilers and clarity. You might know that completing Plague Knight’s campaign unlocks a character, but not which character! But what of players that didn’t care to unlock characters by doing these Feats? We wrestled with challenge of competing play styles. Showdown was developed foremost as a multiplayer battling game, but some players would play the single player only, or vice versa! How would we ensure players weren’t locked into a single unlock method or forced to endure a mode they didn’t want to play? Players can press the “switch” button to see how unlocks are obtained over time / through Feats. As the above image demonstrates, our answer to this problem was to create an alternate method for unlocking each piece of content. Every unlock can be attained through multiplayer by playing for enough time, or by accomplishing a feat. Balancing both of these methods was a challenge! Importantly, if an unlock is achieved through the multiplayer time method, a player can still accomplish the feat- they just won’t unlock anything else. This should preserve the fun of accomplishing the challenges. How Do We Determine the Order of Unlocks? Ordering the unlocks was tricky, as there were several competing desires. We determined that unlocked content should be ordered so that: The player should get new and compelling content regularly. Content should grow in complexity over time i.e. easy-to-use characters should be unlocked earlier. Each character’s unlock appearance should make sense in the context i.e. characters shouldn’t be unlocked before they appear in Story Mode. Content should all be thematically appropriate, too! This list had to be balanced for two unlock methods- timed and Feat-based! Ack! We began with Story Mode unlocks because those seemed most difficult to tackle. We wanted to give out really good unlocks for beating Story Mode, and they had to be appropriate! Each Story in Story Mode features a different rival or impact character- and it seemed natural that this character would be a perfect unlock reward. But we didn’t want the unlock order to be too rigid, and some of the content was way out of order in terms of complexity. To combat this, we set up Story Mode unlocks in several sets of ‘tiers’. If you complete Story Mode with any of the initially unlocked characters, you’ll unlock characters or elements from the mid tier. Completing Story Mode with a character in the mid tier would unlock matching content in the final tier, where the most complex stuff was located. In this way, content could be unlocked in a balanced way depending on how you were playing. Every character’s Story Mode features a unique rival or friend. Sorting content in Story Mode gave us a rough outline of the unlock order, but the timed multiplayer unlocks solidified it. We wanted to make sure that timed multiplayer unlocks felt themed, but multiplayer battles were wildly contextless free-for-alls! How would we make unlocks feel thematic? We decided that all the timing unlocks would be done in pairings. For example, unlocking Mona might also unlock Mona’s stage. That would make it feel thematic! To perfect the formula, we tweaked the timing between the timed unlocks to make sure that players got them at a steady pace. By following all our guidelines for both single player and experiences, we eventually landed on a satisfying unlock order. Hopefully, Shovel Knight Showdown unfurls in complexity in a very natural way! How is an Unlock Presented to the player? When you unlock something, it should look cool! We prioritized giving players information quickly and consistently, with some nice fanfare to make the reward even sweeter. Like with all our menus, we ensured that you could prompt them briskly so these messages felt like a reward, rather than a chore: To keep things snappy, players are only alerted to an unlock in two spots: after you complete or lose in Story Mode, or between multiplayer matches. This made unlock messages feel like a surprise that could happen any time the screen fades to black! We found this surprise factor to be super fun, as everyone would rush to try out whatever we’d unlocked. Our standard unlock message got a few upgrades for Showdown. Look at that little Shovel Knight march! For the in-game message display of Feats, we already had a good base from the other games in Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove. When achieved, the Feat would simply appear as a prompt along the top edge of the screen. We mostly stuck with that design with only minor additions. First, the display would keep your unlock a secret until after the match. Second, if a specific player accomplished the Feat, a small sprite the character appears next to the unlock text, to let you know which player did the deed! Gotta give credit where credit is due! When You Can’t Win, Cheat! We poured a lot of time and attention into making the Unlocks system something players would love, and we hope that most players use it as they play and enjoy the game. That being said, there are times when an unlock system could be a big obstacle to fun: What if I’m setting up a tournament and I need everyone unlocked now? What if I just got the game on a new system, and I don’t wanna grind it all out again? What if I played through everything on a friends’ machine, and now I bought a copy of my own? What if I played through everything on my PS4 and now want to play the game on another platform? What if I just don’t like waiting? Nothing could be a satisfactory answer to all these questions. So we thought it’d be best to just hide some cheats in the game that take all the work out of it! Here they are: Unlock Everything (Temporary) Unlock everything temporarily with this cheat! Reset the game to return things to how they were before. This cheat will unlock all the characters, stages, palettes, and costumes temporarily. That means, the game will no longer save your progress from here on out, until you reset. We imagined this cheat would be used by someone who might want to alter their game progress, but still see all the content available to play under certain scenarios. For example, “my friend might come over to play and we both have played through everything together in the past so want to do so again, but I don’t want to screw up my current save file where I’m trying to play through it legit!” Unlock Everything (Permanent) Unlock everything permanently with this cheat! This will unlock all the characters, stages, palettes, and costumes permanently. That means, your save file will be permanently altered to have everything in the game unlocked. Done and done… but maybe less fun? Article Unlocked! Over the course of development, we tried our best to make Shovel Knight Showdown’s unlockable content system work in an enjoyable way for players of all kinds! There’s a ton of fun stuff to find, challenges to overcome, and surprises to discover. Please have a great time experiencing the constant feed of new and exciting content! But if don’t… give those cheat codes a try! View the full article

Hello, today we are proud to announce that the Synthesis Update (our eighth free update) will launch tomorrow, November 28. It’s been a couple of months since we launched our 2.0 update Beyond on PlayStation 4. Old fans and new players alike have been re-engaging with the No Man’s Sky universe anew: rediscovering the joys of exploration in VR; going on multiplayer missions together in our regular community events; building ever more elaborate bases with the hope of getting featured, and plenty more besides. Everyone, it seems, had their own unique thing which made Beyond the biggest update yet. With such a large update from such a small team, there are always going to be things which need tidying up or fan-favorite features which, in the crazy run-up to release, are left on the cutting room floor. There are also brand-new things which the community have suggested since Beyond which, we agree, will only improve the experience. And with Thanksgiving coming up for a large part of our community, we decided to collate as many of these things as we could together in a “Spring cleaning” update. In it you will find, among many other things: Multiple Multi-Tools: when one Multi-Tool is not enough! Terrain Editor Enhancements: flatten or restore terrain at the press of a button. VR Creature Riding: saddle up on your favorite pet in full Virtual Reality. First Person Exocraft: now available to non-VR and VR players alike. Personal Refiner: refine materials on the go, wherever you are. Multiple Outfits: save a range of custom outfits to quick change into. VR Photo Mode: see an amazing vista in PS VR? Shoot it and share it. Starship Scrapping and Upgrading: trade in unwanted ships for valuable technologies or upgrade them. New Technologies: long-distance inventory management; mid-air jetpack recharging; emergency warping to flee from combat. New Base Parts: square is good, triangle is better! Starship Space Map Enhancements: improved quality and clarity of the visuals. …and much much more! It’s a huge list, but here at the studio we are working on something even more impactful. We just couldn’t wait to release these key features that we knew so many folks in the community were crying out for. We hope you enjoy the Synthesis Update and thank you sincerely for continuing to support No Man’s Sky. Our journey continues. View the full article

Rocket League isn’t slowing down to end 2019. The Blueprint Update is on its way, and it’s bringing a bunch of new content. On December 4, Blueprints will replace Crates, Rocket Pass 5 will launch, and the new Item Shop will open for business! But first, be sure to check your inventories. All items from Supersonic Fury, Revenge of the Battle-Cars, and Chaos Run DLC Packs will be added to all accounts. Enjoy the extra cars and additional items! Your Rocket Pass 5 Journey Is About To Begin Rocket League’s very own battle pass called Rocket Pass is nearly here. Your journey to 70 unique rewards starts on December 4. Rocket Pass 5 features the all new, anime-inspired car, Chikara, which is unlocked immediately with Rocket Pass Premium. Rocket Pass 5 features 70 Tiers of new items including Holosphere Wheels, Metallograph Animated Decal, and three new Goal Explosions! But the journey doesn’t end there. Unlock the Pro Tiers beyond Tier 70 and get Painted and Special Edition versions of select Rocket Pass 5 items! More photos from Rocket Pass 5 Get Rocket Pass Premium for 1,000 Credits and gain access to all these unique rewards and more, plus earn up to 1000 Credits just by Tiering Up in Rocket Pass Premium! Introducing Blueprints Crates are out and Blueprints are in. Beginning with the update, players have a chance to obtain a Blueprint following Online Matches instead of Crates. With Blueprints, you’ll see exactly what item you can acquire, and the number of Credits you need in order to build that item. Each Blueprint will also show if an item is Painted and/or Certified. You’ll even be able to trade Blueprints and items from Blueprints with other players. If you have any Crates in your inventory at the time of the update, they will convert to unrevealed Blueprints, which can be revealed for no cost. You can then choose to build the item from the Blueprint, trade it to another player, or just keep it in your inventory. You can view your Blueprints in the new Blueprints tab in your Inventory. The Item Shop Is Open For Business There’s a new way to browse in-game items in Rocket League. The Item Shop will feature several items that will refresh every 24 or 48 hours. Here, you’ll see the exact item you can purchase, whether it’s a Painted car or a Black Market Goal Explosion. You can buy items in the Item Shop with Credits, just like you use to build Blueprints. Keep checking the item shop for never-before-seen items in the coming months! Between Blueprints, the Item Shop, and Rocket Pass 5, there’s a lot of new content coming to Rocket League in the next month. We hope you’re ready to take to the field in December and the new year! View the full article

Story of a Gladiator is an arena beat ’em up out on PS4 today, where you play the role of a man in search of his destiny. You start with nothing but a broken shield and sword, sent forth into the arena where you are expected to die for the crowd’s entertainment. You must turn the odds in your favor if you want to become champion one day. Becoming a champion will be difficult, but if you follow these tips, you will surely find the coin and glory that you seek… not to mention getting to keep your head! Break the Greek defenses In the later stages of the Greek campaign, you will find gladiators who will block your attacks. Break their defense by using jump attack level 2 or critical strike level 4. The beasts from Carthage Many of the battles in the African campaign will be against tigers, panthers, and lions. These beasts will run at you with great speed, claw you, and run away! Be ready to attack when you see one running towards you! Running Combos The run skill has great synergy with many other skills, amplifying their strength. You should consider using those combos as much as possible. Doing a roll dodge while running will push you forward almost double the distance. Doing a jump attack while running will give you a +100% bonus damage. You can use your shield and bash your enemies while you are running. Skill Builds If you keep dying, change your skill build and try something different. Some enemies require a different set of skills to be defeated. Boss fights which almost always require a specific skill combination. The Romans The elite army of the Roman empire is very organized and have some of the strongest gladiators. They will come at you nonstop, and if you’re not careful, death can be swift. Consider getting block level 2 to block incoming attacks and counter-attack them. Jump attack level 3 (uninterrupted attack) will allow you to get an attack across even if it means taking some damage. Repeated jump attacks can deal a lot of damage. Unbreakable skill is a must, as it will allow you to escape and stay alive when you get surrounded and beaten down. You will probably also need high stamina as these fights are quite intensive, and you will need to use many abilities in a short time. Lastly, some battles will prove impossible without the help of the god of war, Mars. Build up crowd energy on the first wave and call upon him on the second or third wave and see your enemies turn against each other! Pet Strategies The tiger will attack anyone who hits you. While in block mode, you take almost no damage and your tiger will retaliate on those who attacked you, hurting and damaging them. Tigers are also useful to break enemy attacks when you get hurt nonstop by multiple enemies. Panthers are a sure way to deal damage to enemies as they go around every few seconds looking for someone to bite. You can also play the long game with a panther by running around doing nothing while your pet slowly kills them. Lions attack the same enemy you attack and require a bit more coordination, however the 2 of you attacking together will make it impossible for enemies to escape. You can also feed your pet with different types of foods that give them extra damage, double attack and stun attacks. Gladiator mode This mode features permadeath, so you should understand how the game works very well before you attempt it. Every time you win a battle you gain a life, and when you lose a battle, you lose a life. When you lose all your lives, then you die permanently. It’s important to win the Greek campaign with almost no defeats as it’s the easiest, and you will need the extra lives in the more difficult campaigns of Africa and Rome. Coin is very important, so you may want to consider building the amulet of Jupiter to gain extra coin in battles. There is no option to replay battles in this mode, thus you will need to try and get 2-3 star victories to get bonus performance coin. Try to win without losing any health at all to score a perfect bonus, which gives you another extra 10% coin. Good luck, gladiator. Die with honor! View the full article